just booked TOKYO in September; suggestions?!
Jul 29th, 2003, 08:15 PM
#1
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just booked TOKYO in September; suggestions?!
we are going to Tokyo in September for 10 days
currently we are staying at Ryokan Asakusa Shigetsu for 5-6 nights then going to Hakone and staying at Shunkoso for 3 nights before returning to Tokyo for one night (staying at the int'l youth hostel)--
any suggestions on must sees?
must dos?
transportation to hakone?
places to eat?
this is our first trip to japan!
currently we are staying at Ryokan Asakusa Shigetsu for 5-6 nights then going to Hakone and staying at Shunkoso for 3 nights before returning to Tokyo for one night (staying at the int'l youth hostel)--
any suggestions on must sees?
must dos?
transportation to hakone?
places to eat?
this is our first trip to japan!
Aug 7th, 2003, 01:02 PM
#3
There's the Odakyu "Romance Car" from Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto and the Hakone Free Pass that you should be considering. JR can get you to Hakone, of course. Maybe Odakyu also runs from Tokyo eki?
You really should visit an onsen in Hakone.
Aug 7th, 2003, 05:05 PM
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The highlight of our trip to Tokyo was a very early morning trip to Tskuyji (I'm sure I have butchered that spelling, it's pronounced Skeejee) Fish Market, followed by sushi breakfast in one of the little restaurants in the neighborhood. You have to get there by 6AM to see them auction the $30,000 giant tuna used to make the highest grade sushi.
A MUST do in Hakone is the open air sculpture museum. We had budgeted 2 hours of our day in Hakone for this place, and after 4 hours there, we had to tear ourselves away or we would have missed our train. If the leaves are beginning to change in Sept., it should be spectacular.
A MUST do in Hakone is the open air sculpture museum. We had budgeted 2 hours of our day in Hakone for this place, and after 4 hours there, we had to tear ourselves away or we would have missed our train. If the leaves are beginning to change in Sept., it should be spectacular.
Aug 8th, 2003, 03:33 AM
#5
The mention of Tsukiji reminds me to mention the book "Tokyo for Free". Saw it yesterday at a Border's book store. Looked like a list of descriptions of things to do/see, and Tsukiji was listed.
Aug 9th, 2003, 06:05 PM
#6
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we will be spending 3 nights in Hakone- should we considering spending less time there?
do we need a rail pass if we are spending most of our time in toyko (with a day trip to nikko and an overnight trip to Hakone???)
do we need a rail pass if we are spending most of our time in toyko (with a day trip to nikko and an overnight trip to Hakone???)
Aug 10th, 2003, 06:27 AM
#7
Three nights in Hakone-Yumoto would be one or two nights two long for me. And 5-6 nights in Tokyo is 2 or 3 nights to long for me.
Your lodging choices look nice, the Shunkoso one in particular, it looks like they have a nice onsen. The rates you will be paying, 14000-25000 in Tokyo and 20000-40000 at Shunkoso (for two people) imply that you have a decent budget. You're willing to spend a bit more than the minimum for a place to stay. The IYH on the last night implies your stay at Shunkoso is a bit of splurge.
"Need?", no, but would a JR East 4-day flexible pass be worthwhile? Yes. You could use it for these 4 trips on non-consecutive days: Tokyo->Nikko, Nikko->Hakoneyumoto, Hakoneyumoto->Tokyo, and Tokyo->Narita. You could use the shinkansen for the first three trips and the Narita Express for the fourth.
You can travel to those places for less on JR or on other rail company trains. You can use the hyperdia.com\cgi-english site to get JR fares(use hakoneyumoto when querying for fares to/from Hakone Yumoto). Compare with the fares on other rail lines (like Odakyu, Keio?, Tobu?). I took the Odakyu train to Hakone instead of using my JR Pass, and then JR on the return.
The Shunkoso site has a map that would be useful to print and take with you. I visited an onsen nearby, it could have been Shunkoso or a neighbor. You stand on the bridge near the station to catch a shuttle. Here is a blurry view from the shuttle stop: http://www.billk.org/image098.jpg
If it was me, I'd leave Hakone after two nights and use my JR pass to go to Nagano. Spend two nights in Nagano (or Sendai, or someplace) and then go to the airport from there.
Your lodging choices look nice, the Shunkoso one in particular, it looks like they have a nice onsen. The rates you will be paying, 14000-25000 in Tokyo and 20000-40000 at Shunkoso (for two people) imply that you have a decent budget. You're willing to spend a bit more than the minimum for a place to stay. The IYH on the last night implies your stay at Shunkoso is a bit of splurge.
"Need?", no, but would a JR East 4-day flexible pass be worthwhile? Yes. You could use it for these 4 trips on non-consecutive days: Tokyo->Nikko, Nikko->Hakoneyumoto, Hakoneyumoto->Tokyo, and Tokyo->Narita. You could use the shinkansen for the first three trips and the Narita Express for the fourth.
You can travel to those places for less on JR or on other rail company trains. You can use the hyperdia.com\cgi-english site to get JR fares(use hakoneyumoto when querying for fares to/from Hakone Yumoto). Compare with the fares on other rail lines (like Odakyu, Keio?, Tobu?). I took the Odakyu train to Hakone instead of using my JR Pass, and then JR on the return.
The Shunkoso site has a map that would be useful to print and take with you. I visited an onsen nearby, it could have been Shunkoso or a neighbor. You stand on the bridge near the station to catch a shuttle. Here is a blurry view from the shuttle stop: http://www.billk.org/image098.jpg
If it was me, I'd leave Hakone after two nights and use my JR pass to go to Nagano. Spend two nights in Nagano (or Sendai, or someplace) and then go to the airport from there.
